I just got a feeling the Bruins do it. Tim Thomas Factor. Bobby Lou Factor. Nucks rolled into the Cup Finals with an incredibly impressive series win over the Sharks, and their power play looked scary good. But they did look really vulnerable in the ass end of that Blackhawks series, and also in spots against the Preds.

Should be a great series. Not quite ready to make a prediction, but I will make this one: whoever wins game one Wedns night wins the Cup.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

Vancouver's overall team speed is a horrible matchup for Boston. If they play within themselves and clear out the front of the net so Thomas can see the shots, they have a chance in the series. Personally, I think they're going to get outplayed in nearly every game, probably outshot too. Unless they have another level that they can take it to, they'll be in trouble.

Chara and Seidenberg have to play the series of their lives against the Sedins. Not sure that they have it in them.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

skatingtripods wrote:Vancouver's overall team speed is a horrible matchup for Boston. If they play within themselves and clear out the front of the net so Thomas can see the shots, they have a chance in the series. Personally, I think they're going to get outplayed in nearly every game, probably outshot too. Unless they have another level that they can take it to, they'll be in trouble.

Chara and Seidenberg have to play the series of their lives against the Sedins. Not sure that they have it in them.

If Seidenberg plays even 80% as good as he played in game seven ... Bruins will be in good shape. Dude was amazing in game seven. One of the top games I've seen played by a defenseman all season.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

swerb wrote:If Seidenberg plays even 80% as good as he played in game seven ... Bruins will be in good shape. Dude was amazing in game seven. One of the top games I've seen played by a defenseman all season.

Call me crazy, but I think the Sedins will attack and isolate Chara. To me, he seems a bit less agile than he used to be. I think his body may be wearing down and that makes him more vulnerable than Seidenberg. He was very good in what I watched of Game 7, yes. Especially in the 3rd period.

Boston's biggest issue going in to this series is the motivation level of Krejci and Lucic.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

swerb wrote:If Seidenberg plays even 80% as good as he played in game seven ... Bruins will be in good shape. Dude was amazing in game seven. One of the top games I've seen played by a defenseman all season.

Call me crazy, but I think the Sedins will attack and isolate Chara. To me, he seems a bit less agile than he used to be. I think his body may be wearing down and that makes him more vulnerable than Seidenberg. He was very good in what I watched of Game 7, yes. Especially in the 3rd period.

Boston's biggest issue going in to this series is the motivation level of Krejci and Lucic.

I agree. I don't think that's crazy at all.

Hands down, Seidenberg has been Boston's top defenseman all playoffs. Chara's impact has not been near what I've seen it be over these last couple seasons. He's had some injuries and has taken a slew of big hits these playoffs. I agree that his body may be wearing down.

Kaberele has been a total bust - no goals and just 3 hits and 16 blocks in 18 playoff games. Boychuk has made major mental mistake after major mental mistake. Ference and McQuaid are limited.

Chara will be expected to log major ice time. His level of play will be a huge factor in the series.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

swerb wrote:Kaberele has been a total bust - no goals and just 3 hits and 16 blocks in 18 playoff games. Boychuk has made major mental mistake after major mental mistake. Ference and McQuaid are limited.

This is why Vancouver wins the series. Lack of defensemen depth for BOS. They're deep up front, but when VAN establishes their cycle game and offensive zone spacing, they're unbeatable. The only reason CHI had such success was because they're fast enough on D to compensate. NSH was not and they went down in 6. SJ was not and they went down in 5.

Boston's here because Tim Thomas was excellent when he needed to be and Philadelphia totally fell apart.

I hope Boston makes a real exciting series of it, but I just can't see it. Vancouver's won 9 of their last 12 for a reason.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

swerb wrote:Kaberele has been a total bust - no goals and just 3 hits and 16 blocks in 18 playoff games. Boychuk has made major mental mistake after major mental mistake. Ference and McQuaid are limited.

This is why Vancouver wins the series. Lack of defensemen depth for BOS. They're deep up front, but when VAN establishes their cycle game and offensive zone spacing, they're unbeatable. The only reason CHI had such success was because they're fast enough on D to compensate. NSH was not and they went down in 6. SJ was not and they went down in 5.

Boston's here because Tim Thomas was excellent when he needed to be and Philadelphia totally fell apart.

I hope Boston makes a real exciting series of it, but I just can't see it. Vancouver's won 9 of their last 12 for a reason.

Be interesting to see of they continue to try and use Kaerble to play the point on their PP, which has been anemic in the playoffs.

Luckily for Boston, their PK looked pretty good vs a good TB PP. Chara, Seidenberg, Bergeron ... all great on the PK. With how good the Canuck PP looked in the SJ series, they'll need that effort again.

Clearly, special teams are gonna be huge.

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns

I've seen the video on that a dozen times, can't say for certain it was a cheap shot, or it was accidental.

I agree on having him back out there. Hell our high school players get screened any time they get their bell rung, you wouldn't do that for a player you have all that money invested in?

It hits home for me, as trainer of UAk's hockey team. Guys want to know when they can come back from a concussion, and I have to make that decision, without all the screening available at Summa (and other places I'm sure). If we had the resources an NHL team does, there's no way I would make that decision myself...

Spin wrote:It hits home for me, as trainer of UAk's hockey team. Guys want to know when they can come back from a concussion, and I have to make that decision, without all the screening available at Summa (and other places I'm sure). If we had the resources an NHL team does, there's no way I would make that decision myself...

Buddy of mine who's a grad student at UT was the trainer for the Catholic Invitational Tournament up in Toledo in January. Had to diagnose a couple concussions and the parents were asking if the kid could play. It was nuts.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

Spin wrote:It hits home for me, as trainer of UAk's hockey team. Guys want to know when they can come back from a concussion, and I have to make that decision, without all the screening available at Summa (and other places I'm sure). If we had the resources an NHL team does, there's no way I would make that decision myself...

Buddy of mine who's a grad student at UT was the trainer for the Catholic Invitational Tournament up in Toledo in January. Had to diagnose a couple concussions and the parents were asking if the kid could play. It was nuts.

I'm not even a trainer, I'm an EMT/medic. Fourth year nursing student. I'm not trained to make those decisions. Hockey is not a sanctioned sport, so the Sports Medicine Dept won't touch them with a ten foot pole. And the conference doesn't make them have one on site, just an EMT.

Anyway, that hit seems to be the turning point of the series. Vancouver has more skill, but doesn't seem to like contact. That's not a good thing to let Boston to figure out...

Amazing contrast between Bobby Lou at home and on the road here in the cup Finals. He bounced back strong from a disastrous games 3 and 4 in game 5 ... will have to do so again in game seven Wedns night.

Great start to this one. A little Rene Rancourt, Mason Raymond laying motionless on the ice while the Bruins fans were chanting taunts and "Lets Go Bruins". Then 10 monster hits and a blitzkrieg of Bruins goals.

I have a handful of friends through a simulation hockey league that I run who are from British Columbia and are diehard Canuck fans. They're easily the whiniest fan base in hockey. They blame the refs for every single loss, whether it's 3-2 or 9-1. They've forced me to root for Boston. Read the complaint this morning from one of them that it's not fair that H. Sedin, Kesler, Samuelsson, Raymond, Ehrhoff, and Hamhuis are hurt. Yep, not fair that injuries happen in a sport played from October to mid-June.

I'm hoping Boston can pull it off. From what I've read on Twitter, most of Canada is ambivalent toward Vancouver, so nobody really cares except for Canuck fans.

I expect Vancouver to win in a closely contested 2-1, 3-2 kind of game with one huge final push from Boston late in the game.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

This series will leave lasting scars. The Bruins’ Nathan Horton(notes) went to the hospital with a concussion in Game 3 after a nasty hit by the Canucks’ Aaron Rome(notes), who drew an unprecedented four-game suspension. No one knows when Horton will return. The Canucks’ Mason Raymond(notes) went to the hospital with a broken back in Game 6 after an awkward, reckless hit by the Bruins’ Johnny Boychuk(notes), who was not disciplined. If Raymond returns by November, the Canucks will consider that a victory.

This series has been full of garbage on both sides. The Canucks’ Alex Burrows biting the finger of the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron(notes) in Game 1. The Canucks’ Max Lapierre offering his fingers to Bergeron in Game 2. The Bruins’ Mark Recchi(notes) offering his fingers to Lapierre and Milan Lucic(notes) doing the same to Burrows in Game 3. Burrows, Lapierre and other Canucks – including captain Henrik Sedin(notes) – have blatantly embellished plays trying to draw penalties. The Bruins haven’t been angels, either. Witness the wicked slash by Rich Peverley(notes) to the back of Kevin Bieksa’s(notes) knee, the hand-swiping and sucker-punching of Brad Marchand(notes).

This series has been overcome by noise. Smack talk from both sides, some of it real, some of it blown out of proportion by the media. Roberto Luongo(notes) is asked a question about goaltending style after Game 5. He answers it. Suddenly, he has made a simple statement or taken a shot at his critics or taken a shot at Thomas, and it explodes into controversy. It becomes a window into Luongo’s fragile psyche or at least a tool for psychological warfare for the Bruins.

This series has been schizophrenic. Both teams play one way at home, another on the road. The Canucks won one-goal thrillers in Games 1 and 2 in Vancouver. The Bruins won blowouts in Games 3 and 4 in Boston. The Canucks won Game 5 in Vancouver, 1-0. The Bruins won Game 6 in Boston, 5-2.

But the best part is this – the best part. After all that has happened on the ice and off of it, it comes down to Game 7, winner take all. No one feels cheesy romanticizing his roots. Everyone has waited for this moment in his own way, from the fans, to the fans who became the players.

“When we’re in the garage or driveway playing as a kid, you’re fantasizing,” said Thomas, who grew up in Michigan, north of Detroit. “Well, I was Steve Yzerman, which doesn’t make sense for a goalie. But you’re saying to yourself, ‘Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.’ You’re not saying ‘Game 6,’ you know?”

This is what everyone will remember above all else – the injuries, the garbage, the noise, the schizophrenia, the statistics. The Canucks’ Ryan Kesler(notes) was asked Tuesday if he was disappointed in his series, with only one point in six games. He is playing on an injured leg.

“Tomorrow is all that matters,” he said. “Everything in the past is in the past. If we win tomorrow, we become legends.”

"It's like dating a woman who hates you so much she will never break up with you, even if you burn down the house every single autumn." ~ Chuck Klosterman on Browns fans relationship with the Browns